At the direction of Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, the New York City Council deployed approximately 20 staff members to several poll sites throughout New York City for Tuesday’s Primary Elections to conduct field oversight activities. The decision to have staff conduct such field oversight comes after numerous issues arose during the Presidential Primary Election in April, including reports of voters unknowingly being removed from voter rolls, poll sites opening late, and malfunctioning voting machines. Improving voting and civic participation was a focal point of Speaker Mark-Viverito’s 2016 State of the City.
Council staff observed whether voters were facing any issues at the poll sites, including, for example, whether voters’ names properly appeared in poll books, whether poll sites had enough supplies including privacy sleeves/folders and provisional ballots, and whether voters were facing lengthy wait times. Council staff also observed operations at the Board of Election’s executive office as well as borough offices.
“Voting is our most important civic duty and we must ensure the process works for all New Yorkers.,” said Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. “Our staff will conduct field oversight in areas that experienced significant issues during the April Presidential Primary Election, including in Brooklyn, Upper Manhattan, and the Bronx.”
